Ravenna

It sounds as if you're planning to do Rome, Florence and Venice, right? If so, then do them in that order or reverse order. And see Ravenna as a long stopover between Florence and Venice.

It may be worth stopping there on the way to Venice or Rome, and spending a night there. Ravenna is not on one of the major train lines so the trains there are slow. There are also other mosaics to see at Ravenna including at St Vitale which is next door to the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia.

And leave yourself some time for Classe also (short bus ride outside town)

Hi Bethanie,
I've been to Ravenna once and although I enjoyed seeing the mosaics, I did not enjoy the town (spent one night and a little more than a day there). The people were not at all open or friendly, by which I mean the general public and the staff at B&B and restaurants. This is the only town after 3 trips that I would NOT go back to. That said, everyone's experience is differnt of course. You'll love the mosaics but I would do it as a stop on my way to/from Venice.

Oh yes, I definitely plan on seeing San Vitale as well :) I don't think I'd want to stay the night there. Hopefully we can just stop on the way from Florence to Venice. I'm pretty sure now we are going to do Rome-Florence-Venice in that order.

By all means, plan on staying overnight and spend the whole day there. Since you've done to much research, you'll appricate it more than the average person. We were there in September and spent two nights at a great beach hotel (had bikes to use for free which was neat for exploring) and spent a whole day siteseeing in Ravenna. The bus to Ravenna stopped right in front of the hotel. If you're interested in the hotel, let me know and I'll look it up the name. Also, when we went to Venice, we stayed in Mestre, which is a 10 minute bus ride from Venice. We were able to stay at a 4 star hotel for the price of a 2 star in Venice. Our hotel was right on the main square, so there was lots of opportunities to experience the local culture, something you won't get in Venice with all the tourist. Buses run late between Mestre and Venice, so you can enjoy the evening in Venice and head back to your 4 start hotel without problems! Enjoy your trip!

I would definitely recommend making it a stop in between the other cities. That way you can explore Ravenna and Classe and get to see a majority of the Byzantine mosaics around the area. Enjoy your trip!

I would say stop on your way to/from Venice. I've been twice and can't say I'd recommend an overnight but you can easily fill a day with Ravenna.

I couldn't disagree more with the suggestion to stay in Mestre instead of Venice. This is a recurring discussion on this board, with at least 80% saying "Stay in Venice" especially for your first visit. Those who have only stayed off-island (e.g. in Mestre) don't know what they're missing. Plus you can take a mid-day nap in your room if you stay in Venice. A big bonus considering all the walking you'll be doing. :-)

Hi Bethanie. I encourage you to stay for a night in Ravenna. I was only there for a day and missed Sant'Apollinare in Classe because there wasn't enough time. Since you wrote a paper on Galla Placidia's mosaics and are familiar with Byzantine art and history in Italy, you should see as many churches as possible!

The mosaics are special. Stay over in Ravenna if you can and visit the various major mosaic sites. A rented bicycle is a good way to get about. Classe is an easy bus ride away.

Hi Bethanie: We were staying in Venice, and got up super early in the dark, no less, to take the vaporetto to the station and then the train down to Ravenna. It was a 3 or so hour ride, with one change in Ferrari, I think. Even with that, we found we did not have enough time! We saw the Justinian and Theodora mosaics (I did a long college paper on them too!) and also the tomb of Galia Placidiaamazing. We liked the town and walked around to find lunch, and also came across Dante's tomb, which was really cool. However, in order to get back to Venice and make our way to our hotel, we felt we had to save San'Apollinaire for another time, which was too bad. I hope we can make the time to get there in a future trip. SoI wish I could have spent a night in Ravenna to have enough time to have enjoyed it all!

I just want to thank everyone who has posted. Someday soon I'm going to make it to Ravenna, and was fairly certain I really needed an overnight stay. So, now this is my plan... Bethanie, be sure to let us know how your trip went when you get back - your enthusiasm is contagious!!! I hope your travel partner is just as excited!